How do I configure my model of router?

This page describes the general procedure for configuring your home router. However, every router is different. Even routers made by the same manufacturer may use different configuration tools, depending on the model. So to configure your router, it's important to consult the manual that corresponds with your exact router model. If you don't know which model router you have, check the its case for the identifying information.

If you no longer have the printed manual that came with your router, you can find the documentation online, at your manufacturer's support website. Here are some quick links to the support sites for popular routers:

Accessing your router's configuration interface

Most modern routers provide an administration Control Panel that can be accessed through your web browser. You can connect to it just like a normal website. The page is served to your browser directly from your router.

To connect to your router's web interface, follow these steps:

Connect to your local network - You need to be connected to your LAN through your router to access the router's web interface. This connection can be either wireless, or wired (using an Ethernet cable connected to one of your router's Ethernet ports). For detailed instructions about how to create a wired connection to your router, see our guide.

Navigate to your router's local address - In the address bar, type the IP address of your router. This depends on your browser's configuration, but it is usually one of the following:

192.168.0.1
192 .168.1.1
10.0.0.1
10.0.1.1

In the image below, the address 192.168.0.1 is entered into the address bar.

If none of the above listed IP addresses work for you, consult your manual. Some routers may reserve a special local address that automatically brings you to your router's web interface. For instance, many Netgear routers can be accessed by navigating to routerlogin.net.

You can also find your router's address by asking your computer's network hardware what it is. See determining your router address, below, for more information.

Log into the web interface - If you successfully navigate to your router, you will see a login prompt, which will look different depending on your model of router and which browser you're using. It may look as simple as the example below.

At this prompt, you should enter your router's administrator username and password — note that this not the same as the password that you use to connect to your network.

If you don't know this information, consult your router's manual. It may also be printed on the router itself. Some router manufacturers create a unique login for each router, and some use a simple default that is the same for every unit of that model.

If you're still stuck, you can always try one of the traditional default combinations:

username

password

admin

password

admin

admin

admin

administrator

password

administrator

user

password

user

After entering the correct username and password, you can access the web interface, which will look similar to this:

From here, you have access to all the configurable options on your router.

Be careful! If you change something you don't understand, you might accidentally disable or degrade the performance of your network. If you change any settings, write down your changes on a piece of paper or record them in a text file so they can be used in the future if needed.

Changing your router's name and password

Once you're able to access your router (see the previous section for instructions), you may change the default name (SSID) and password. To do so, follow the instructions below. However, you should keep in mind that every router is a bit different so the steps used to find the wireless password section of your router may vary. If you cannot find the wireless security section, consult your router's owner's manual.

Log into your router (see the previous section for instructions).

Look for a Setup or Wireless Setup subsection; they're usually located on the left side or top of the window.

In the Wireless Setup menu, enter you're preferred router name and password in the for the Name (SSID): and Passphrase: sections.

Click the button to save the new settings, and then exit the router configuration screen.

Resetting the router to factory defaults

If you make a mistake configuring your router, or if you can't log in with your router's default username and password, you can reset your router to its factory default settings. On most wireless routers, a button devoted to this function is located in back of the device. The button may or may not be labeled, and it may be recessed so that it can only be pressed with the end of a paperclip. Check your manual for details.

Holding in this button for a certain number of seconds will reset the router to its original settings. Ten seconds is usually enough.

Among other things, this will reset your wireless network name (SSID) and key (network password) to their defaults. After a reset, you need to re-establish any connections to the wireless network using these default values.

Determining router address

To authoritatively determine your router's IP address, you should query your network device for its current configuration. There are different ways to do this, depending on your operating system:

Tip: PowerShell allows you to isolate text in your output. By piping the command to select-string, which is similar to the unix tool grep, you can display only those lines containing the string "Gateway":

ipconfig | select-string --pattern "Gateway"

Linux

In Linux, use the route command with the -n option. The command must be run as root.

This output represents the kernel's routing table using numeric addresses (-n). The gateway address is listed in the second column of the table, next to the destination 0.0.0.0, which is your local computer.

In the example above, the router's address is 192.168.1.1.

macOS X

In OS X, the syntax of route uses the keyword get and requires a destination address.